August 2020

Discouragement is such a motivation killer. When we begin to entertain negative thoughts about our circumstance, we can easily become discouraged and completely lose focus!  Do you ever find yourself creating a mental list of the Why Nots?  It may sound like this:

I’lI probably fail. I don’t think I’m ready. What if I make a mistake? What if they don’t like me? What if I feel foolish? I’ll just wait for another time. Someone may laugh.

The list is rather endless given every possible scenario, but the bottom line is when I let negative thoughts dictate my actions, I will probably give up, not try, lose focus, become discouraged, and ultimately feel worse.  Sometimes we talk ourselves out of something because we are afraid, yet we are not really sure what we are afraid of.  God connects fear to discouragement in the book of Joshua.  When Joshua is preparing to lead God’s people into the Promised Land, God tells Joshua, “Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged.” (Joshua 1:9, 8:1) and then Joshua repeats that statement to the Israelites. 

What if we pushed through the fear and discouragement? What if we set aside the question roadblocks and captured the moment? 

One of my favorite memories with my mom during the last few years of her earthly life, when she was no longer able to verbally communicate because of her dementia, included a “capture the moment” opportunity.  I was taking her for a stroll in her wheelchair around the Senior Living Facility where she and my Dad were living.  We were walking past the beautiful in-ground pool.  The weather was perfect, the sun was shining but not hot, the water was crystal clear and felt ideal.  I was thinking how wonderful it would be if she were healthy enough to be able to enjoy that pool.  I felt disappointment knowing that she was missing out.   Then I found myself wondering if I could try to lift her out of her wheelchair and lower her to the pool’s side so I could put her feet in the water. After a bit of mental deliberation, I thought it would be worth the effort to try.

When I lowered her onto the concrete pool side, took off her shoes and put her feet in the water, she immediately smiled. Her eyes seemed gleeful.  I found that I was not satisfied with stopping there.  I wanted her to experience the water, but was also battling the questions, “What if I can’t lift her out?” “How will I dry her off?” What if she gets hurt in the process of transferring her back onto her wheelchair?” “Both of us are wearing clothes, not swimsuits.”  With each question, I could feel discouragement creeping in.  I was about to talk myself out of a wonderful experience when I decided to capture the moment!  In we went, clothes and all! I cradled my Mother in my arms as her face beamed with delight. I held onto her and together we moved around the pool, feeling refreshed and relaxed, soaking in the sunshine and the pleasure of cool water on our skin.  After our adventure in this water oasis, I still had some of those questions to answer, but I was so glad that I did not let those questions, fears, or discouragement stop me from capturing the moment. It will always remain one of my treasured memories.

Blessings!

Nyla